Comments on: Cheater's Guide to Obama vs. Romney on the Big Four "Gay Issues"

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:30:06 +0000

“He doesn’t hate gays or women just like Obama doesn’t hate white people and business owners (both of those accusations are floating about).”

This is like the “report both sides full stop” media approach. Those things aren’t equivalencies (…equivalents? equivalent?). Obama hasn’t introduced laws targeting the rights and well-being specifically of white people and business owners. Actually, he’s helped small business owners quite a bit–taxes, health insurance–and he is making education more accessible, so business owners will have better-skilled American workers for jobs they can’t fill. And, three-quarters of all U.S. businesses have no payroll–mostly self-employed people, often sole proprietors who hire students or other part-time employees. Obama’s tax policy helps these people way more than Mitt’s.

By the way, the white people thing is incredibly inflammatory and offensive. There’s no evidence-based reason to bring it up, so… Nobody is saying Mitt’s against women because he’s a man. We’re talking policy. Well, some of us are.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:41:23 +0000

While I’m sure Mr. Romney doesn’t hate anyone, he doesn’t support marriage equality. He’s on the record (for this current go ’round, anyway) as believing that marriage is one man and one woman, and doesn’t believe in civil unions. I’m not sure he supports legal recognition of any kind. The Massachusetts Supreme Court made marriage equality a reality in the commonwealth by, basically, saying that the law doesn’t say that two people of the same sex can’t get married. Nothing really that Romney could’ve done for or against it at the point, especially because the MA legislature was too afraid to actually pass a law either way. As for being a Republican, Callie, it’s cool. A reasonable person knows that one can be a Republican without committing to EVERYTHING the current Republican party claims to stand for. I myself claim no party affiliation. I realize that the current GOP isn’t what it used to be. It’s been taken over by folks who claim to be conservative (socially or otherwise), but I’m not sure they understand what that really means. Or maybe I’m the one who doesn’t understand. I guess this is why I don’t like politics!

By: Callie French

Callie French — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:21:35 +0000

You are completely right, Dina. However, Romney gave the order to begin issuing the documents (as was his job of course) and didn’t fight the issue. Supported it rather. Anywho, you are right but as much as he might not be as Pro Gay as other candidates he is no Michelle Bachman thank god! He isn’t an advocate, I admit.

By: Dina

Dina — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:20:42 +0000

Wasn’t gay marriage in MA brought about by the courts, though? Don’t think Mitt would have had anything to do with that.

By: Callie French

Callie French — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 02:47:48 +0000

First…I hate political debates…second, Romney was in office when Mass became the first state, ever, to legalize gay marraige before Canada and all the others countries and states. He doesn’t hate gays or women just like Obama doesn’t hate white people and business owners (both of those accusations are floating about).

Just saying, not advocating or anything (though I am a republican lesbian *cough* Ill hide from the possible mean comments on that), there are a lot of promises made in a presidential races that are never put into action and thats true of both sides. Perhaps we can all just get along and admit our differences??? Ill love you all either way and I can’t wait for election season to end

By: ScoutBFinch

ScoutBFinch — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:31:33 +0000

“The issues that divide – are you for my existence as an equal part of this country, or against it? Yes, I take issue with these being labeled “the gay issues,” because it implies that no one else should care about them. Everyone should care about these four particular issues!” – Well said!

By: Hannah

Hannah — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 03:09:53 +0000

I went to their website a few months ago because I was researching the opposing side in order to strengthen my argument. I couldn’t even get through it. There wasn’t any point researching it for debate purposes, because there wasn’t any logic behind their points. It was all prejudice.

By: katie k.

katie k. — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:42:11 +0000

This article made me curious to read more about the National Organization for Marriage. Let me just say, you should probably not go to their website unless you want to throw up in your mouth. They are just bad humans.

By: Ernie

Ernie — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:48:33 +0000

Excellent! Thanks for doing the legwork and providing us with such a nice resource.

Seeing it spelled out so clearly, it makes that GOProud video that much more mind-boggling. I will never understand women or queers (or any marginalized group of individuals, for that matter) who vote for Republican candidates *against their very own self-interest*.

By: Aly

Aly — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:22:15 +0000

Ali I love all of your articles <3

By: Saskia

Saskia — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:02:39 +0000

I live in Britain, and we’re not perfect, but I used to live in the States and I’m really struck by the contrast between the two countries in terms of like ‘normalisation of gayness.’

Ali was right to point out the bit about ‘are these just gay issues or human being issues’; describing ‘gay stuff as OTHER’ is really characteristic of America being not-yet-too-comfortable with this even if maybe sorta more tolerant.

By: Saskia

Saskia — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:53:39 +0000

I’d like to tell you what I call him, but I think this comment would get deleted for rudeness.

*hint: it would do Malcolm from The Thick of It proud*